1. Field of the Invention
The embodiments of the invention generally relate to computer diagnostic systems and methods, and more particularly to multi-system software/application failure diagnostic systems and methods.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, when computer software applications are running across multiple systems, one of the problems associated with identifying software malfunctions is that there are generally no readily available tools that can identify, in a cross-platform application process, if jobs (i.e., application protocols) have completed or failed without logging into each individual system and checking on the status of the protocols. Generally, support personnel have to logon to multiple platforms and research job logs and console messages once a problem is realized in order to determine the status of the application, thereby losing valuable software running time. As computer technology continues to develop into more of a real-time and on-demand environment, tools capable of displaying a view of any dependent job stream and status board relating to the processing of the application would be greatly beneficial.
Tivoli®, which is available from International Business Machines, Armonk, N.Y., USA, is a software/application monitoring tool. However, while Tivoli® is beneficial for the purpose it was designed for, it is generally designed to log job failures and alerts once the failures occur. Therefore, there remains a need for a software/application diagnostic tool, which forecasts dependent job time completion or a status view so a user can determine if jobs (i.e., application protocols) are being completed on time, and for failures that do occur, there is a need for a system and method that not only provides an alert, but which also provides a realistic forecast of when all processing will be completed.